3 injured in 3 separate Sunday shootings in Chattanooga

3 injured in 3 separate Sunday shootings in Chattanooga

November 21st, 2011by Naomi Jagoda in News

Chattanooga police investigated three separate shootings Sunday and arrested a suspect in one.

As of 11 p.m., police were at 7732 Nautical Way where Demarcus Bumpass, 19, had been shot in the foot, police spokeswoman Sgt. Jerri Weary said. He was taken to a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

About 2 p.m., Jose Mendez, 36, was shot in the shoulder as he worked on his car outside 426 E. 16th St. in a rundown neighborhood not far from Main Street.

Mendez told police three young black men asked for money and to borrow his gas can. When he wouldn't comply, they shot him in the shoulder, took his money and drove away in a light blue Ford pickup.

Mendez's injuries were not life-threatening, Weary said. No arrests had been made Sunday evening.

A woman who lives nearby said she saw the shooting through her window. She didn't want her name used. She said Mendez was working on his car when the suspects approached him.

She said one of the men was wearing a winter coat with a hood and a blue-and-white block pattern. The other was wearing a white sweatshirt or jacket that had a red circle on the back with text in the middle of the circle. She didn't have a description for the third suspect.

At 12:30 a.m., police were called to 719 E. 49th St. and found Johnny Tripp, 35, shot in the chest and thighs, Weary said. Tripp told police he was sitting on the porch when two acquaintances approached, pulled out guns and shot him. He said they got into a black Chevy Cavalier and drove off, Weary said.

One of the suspects, Corey Ball, 22, was arrested Sunday night in Ringgold, Ga. He faces charges of attempted first-degree murder and especially aggravated robbery.